Konn Lavery's Blog: Posts from konnlavery.com, page 41

A.L. Mabry, author of Darker Daze: The Storms Within

This week we have an additional guest author, A.L. Mabry, who has released her new novel, Darker Daze: The Storms Within. This is a collection of short stories that explore the darker side of the human condition.

Let’s welcome her to the blog!

Thanks A.L. Mabry for joining us, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hello and thank you for having me today! My name is Amanda and I write under A.L. Mabry. I am a multi-genre writer as well as an artist. I write poetry, dark fiction, and fantasy primarily. When I am not writing I am usually busy with one of my other five jobs (yes five, not a typo) or spending time with my husband. We have a bunch of kids but they’re too cool to hang out with us anymore. We love camping and kayaking when weather permits.

Besides Darker Daze: The Storms Within, what else have you written?

I have several short stories published in anthologies but this is my first official book. I have a lot of projects in the works but I postponed them to focus on building Our Write Side and helping other authors.

What sparked you to write this novel?

I needed an outlet for some residual trauma and emotional issues. I dabbled with my first dark fiction short story a few years ago because of a writing prompt. I instantly recognized the power my experience added to the emotional turmoil of this genre. Additionally, I found the writing to be extremely cathartic.

What’s your biggest inspiration to write?

My biggest inspiration to write is life. Sometimes, to escape it…other times to explore it. Reading and writing have literally been life savers for me. When I was younger, I read to escape the daily torments I was suffering. As an adult, writing has allowed me to connect with other people, to grow, and to express myself.

Do you have plans for upcoming releases?

I have a short stories, Cinder Baby that will be in an anthology this summer titled, “Glass & Ashes,” which is published by OWS Ink, LLC. This story is a twisted alternate retelling inspired by Cinderella. In this version Prince Charming is a horrifying antagonist hell bent on making Cindy his bride.

Any advice you’d like to give aspiring writers?

Find your tribe. Over time you will learn all the writing rules, all the publishing processes, and the extensive details of the business. Having a community to tap into and be supported by is an invaluable asset. In the past writing was a very isolating endeavor but like all things, this industry and this art have evolved. The internet has provided the perfect medium for many lonely introverts.

Thank you A.L. Mabry for joining us! You can find her online at the following links:

Follow the Author

http://authoralmabry.com

https://www.facebook.com/amandalynnmabry/

and https://www.facebook.com/groups/mabrystreetteam/

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AmandaLynnMabry

https://www.pinterest.com/scorpioscribes/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWd6885XNy2W1_ZbashUZRQ

https://www.instagram.com/amandalmabry/

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Time Distortion

Only three weeks away from the YEGman launch! That is not a relevant statement to what this month’s Unprocessed Thoughts is about, but I had to get that out of my system. The launch date is creeping up on me because time, in the traditional sense, is a myth and my existence has been transformed into milestones and project deadlines. This is known as time distortion. It’s like being shifted out of the norm and living in a bubble, only able to observe and not interact.

Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

No, I was not inebriated when writing that intro paragraph, it was a moment of clarity I had earlier this week while Easter weekend was approaching. So the time distortion was just my perception of how time was passing. The conclusion from the moment of clarity was that I have not t done a lot of writing in 2018. No word counts, no chapters or rough drafts. What kind of writer is that?

Hold on, one thing to keep in mind is writing progression isn’t all about word count. For the past three months I’ve been doing more research and planning on what I want to write about next. What type of genre? Should it be a short story, novel or a series? Is it something that I would find interesting? These are just some of the questions that have been floating in the back of my mind while juggling life.

Disguised Success

Finished the chapter outlines to the #slasherNovel.

Time to hack away at the first draft!#yegWrites #lamePun #amWriting #success #write #horror #horrorWriter

— Konn Lavery (@konnl) February 25, 2018

This is a quote from a month ago on Twitter. I was pretty excited that I had drafted out the first outline for a new book. Often a first draft changes drastically and after finishing the outline, already I spotted a number of potential issues with it. Even though it is a novella, it still takes a lot of time to research and develop an interesting plot, just like a novel or a series.

That tweet was the conclusion of the last bit of fiction writing I have done since that date. I’ve written some blog posts and poems, but that’s about it.

Konn, why aren’t you writing?

You might be asking yourself – why is Konn not writing new stuff? As I mentioned, I am spending more time researching so I don’t go down the wrong path. This change in thinking has paid off. I need to go back to the drawing board with the slasher novel after identifying the issues with the outline. Writing isn’t a A to B to C, linear process. Much like any other creative process you jump all over the place and go forward and backwards consistently. Yes, planning helps provide a guideline on where you want to go but ultimately, writing a new book is an entirely new beast on its own. I have yet to see a process that streamlines and templates writing fiction.

So, you writing or not?

Fear not, this does not mean new writing is not going to be available. I have also been looking into the evolution of the literary industry. What technology offers, how the age of the internet and self-publishing has altered the way people digest media. We live in an exciting time in human evolution and seeing things alter so drastically that it can be hard to keep someone’s attention. With literature, a novel is a huge investment for people who are constantly on the go and are juggling a million things in a day. How do people even have time to read? Well, the avid reader will make time, but how do you engage the casual readers?

Micro-content

A web term for producing content online in tangible chunks. Easy to do with visual arts, a little challenging with music and quite different with literary works. But, micro-content is something I want to explore with my writing. In my case, it is another fancy word for short stories. Keep watch on the blog, I’ll have more to share about this in the coming month. Until then, mark your calendars for April 18th with the launch of YEGman.

Beer Note: Hopbot IPA

For this month I tried the Hopbot’s IPA and the name does not disappoint. This beer is at a 7.1% alcohol and one of the hoppiest beers I have tried. It also contains a subtle fruity taste which was unexpected. Knowing my biased hoppy taste buds, I’d give this one a 4/5.

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In Defense of Literature

SAN DIEGO – At my own peril, I’ll venture a thesis: there’s a difference between good writing, on the one hand, and successful writing, on the other. They can coincide, but as often as not, they don’t. Bear with me, I promise I’m not one of those effete literary snots who ruin cocktail parties with soliloquies about the death of literature. I know those people and I avoid them. But facts being the perniciously true things that they are, one has to admit that the most popular fiction of our age includes – how to say this – well, some really crappy writing and in defense of my convictions, I offer you an example from a recent popular travesty:

“Her eyes are brown, like bourbon, but flat.”

Ponder that.

I won’t drag out a vituperation of the commonplace. People like what they like and some of it sucks. It’s only through the bad taste of millions that the Kardashians can keep themselves in imported Lycra. If tawdry, derivative, ill-crafted fluff is your thing, far be it from me to judge.

But with too many an author friend I’ve found myself mired in the discussion of whether writing even matters anymore. I’ve heard the assertion that authorship, in the classical sense of the word, means nothing compared to marketing and micro-genre-targeted, serialized, branded, rote-formula-adhering word salad with a good website. I know, friends; it’s hard. You worry about where the comma goes and know how to use the subjunctive effectively. It’s a shame those traits don’t matter to the masses. But take heart, they do still matter.

Yes, the sheer mass of print an online material today includes some work that would be better left undone but I suggest there are as many good writers today as at any time and, moreover, I suggest those writers are the ones whose work will still be appreciated when shlock like the quote above is (mercifully) forgotten.

There is nothing new about our situation. Writers with under-appreciation complexes have whined for centuries about the notoriety of their less talented counterparts and in every era there have been those who prophesied the death of literature. “We come too late to say anything that has not already been said,” wrote Jean de La Bruyère at the end of the 17th Century, perhaps unaware that Terence beat him to the sentiment by two thousand years. I can think of an author or two who’ve said quite a few new things since La Bruyère bemoaned his literary station. Literature isn’t dead; it’s just resting.

Most readers of this blog can probably name a hundred living authors. But how many can they name from any given decade in the past century? Thinking back over two hundred years of American literature, I can probably name a hundred true literary geniuses from my native land, which is a fraction of the total number of Americans who cranked out a tome in that span. Even across the sea, in England, where they invented my beloved bastard tongue, there have always been more bad writers than good, an example of the former being the oft-cited Edward Bulwer Lytton, whose 1830 novel, Paul Clifford, begins:

“It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.”

Say what you want about contemporary literature; it’s no worse than that!

And yet I recently came across an article in Salon by J. Robert Lennon entitled “Most Contemporary Literary Fiction is Terrible.” Leaving aside the pretense of his title, let us consider the thrust of Lennon’s contention.

“Let’s face it: Literary fiction is fucking boring. It really is. It’s a genre as replete with clichés as any. And when you’re as deeply immersed in it as many of us are, it’s all too easy to stop noticing the clichés. They no longer stand out. They’re just What People Do. And so, we do them. If a writer of literary fiction wants to be great, she needs to poke her head up out of the echo chamber every now and then and absorb the genuine peculiarity of human striving. And that means reading stuff that is not literary fiction, and, sometimes, not reading at all.”

I beg to differ. Literary fiction is not, ipso facto, boring. Some of it is. So is some sci-fi, some romance, some YA, some non-fiction and on and on. But the “literary” in “literary fiction” is just a term we now use to mean “that which is written with attention to style and which does not fit neatly into another category.” If, by “literary fiction,” Lennon means to contemn work that attends to the elements of writing for writing’s sake, then he’s tarring writers with too wide a brush. The fact that the industry even includes literary fiction, often called “serious fiction,” is insulting and misleading, implying that any other fiction is less literary or less serious.

The fact is, some of the best writers working today write genre fiction and they do so with every bit as much literary flourish as so-called literary fiction authors, many of whom (myself included) like to put on airs. Quality is not genre-dependent. Good writing is good writing as sure as bad is bad.

So if you tend to agonize over alliteration or fixate on parallelism, if you prefer metaphor to simile or the other way around and can justify your opinion on the matter, in short, if you still think it’s not enough to write without writing well, then you’re part of a working generation of literary authors. It doesn’t matter what you write; if how you write it is important to you, take pride in that, even if you can’t promote your own books worth a damn. Celebrate your love of language, even if your best efforts at cover design look like a Sunday school collage. Believe that the art has merit, even if your social network consists of your two sisters and your Aunt Bernice.

Literature matters and you know that, even if a million would-be readers don’t.

This post is by Tony Phillips, author of The Fires of Orc.

Tony Phillips is the author of 2017’s The Fires of Orc and a forthcoming historical novel. He lives and works in San Diego and is a frequent contributor to online and print media.

 

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Opening Page Checklist: 4 Must-Haves to Hook Your Reader

By: Kelly Charron, Author of thrillers Pretty Wicked and Wicked Fallout

The goal of page one in any written piece is to grab the reader’s attention. The million-dollar question is how do you successfully do that?

It helps to have a great understanding of what genre you’re writing in. Literary fiction tends to allow for a much slower build, usually introducing the reader to one character or the setting. This is sometimes a page depicting rolling hills and various foliage or a character going about a daily task or routine.

Traditional genre fiction, such as thrillers, fantasy, horror and science fiction, tend to differ greatly from literary, often throwing the reader into the middle of a dramatic event or gritty scenario. Of course, there are many variations in between. Knowing your genre expectations will prevent the reader from feeling cheated or thrown if these expectations are not met. For example, I know when I pick up a romance I’m not going to stumble across a dead body in the first page, but may feel confused if the thriller or horror I pick up seems to be all sunshine and roses.

Despite the genre, each first page needs to captivate. Here are 4 ways to catch and keep a reader from page one:

Strong sense of place/setting – Ground the reader. It’s important to state the date (month and year help so we know if it’s summer in Las Vegas or Christmas in New York). Setting can be a character in its own right and will inform how the reader interprets the rest of the action. Think the Wizarding World of Harry Potter or the gothic thriller Crimson Peak. Both worlds give a sense of wonder, darkness and mystery. The tone and ambiance, old castles and dilapidated mansions, and even clothing, give the reader an immediate sense of what’s to come.
Character(s) that grip – The character is the vehicle with which we perceive the story. Having a strongly written and engaging character is often enough to reel the reader in. If we care about them, we will turn the page to see what happens to them next. This can be achieved by using a very distinct voice, character quirk, flaw, riveting motivation/goal, or having them react to something important. Having the character deal with a big decision for example, creates gripping action and immediately bonds the character and reader.
Immediate problem/secret – The character is faced with a problem or is keeping a juicy secret which automatically creates tension and pacing. It makes the reader worry for the character and therefore invest their interest into the world. If everything in page one is shiny and happy it’s a bit harder to turn the page because there’s no sense of urgency. We know we can put the book down because everything’s okay.
Balance what you reveal to the reader and what you hold back – What details do the readers absolutely need to know to properly place them inside your tale and what can be left out (either entirely or for later in the story)? A lot of writers fall into the backstory trap and want to fill a first page with details about the character’s past. Even if these things are relevant, it’s more engaging to learn about the character in an active scene, while weaving backstory in as you go. The reader will piece all the details together and your story will be stronger for it.

Using at least one or two of these opening hooks is a sure-fire way to captivate and keep that reader going after page one.

This Post is by Kelly Charron, author of Pretty Wicked and Wicked Fallout

About Kelly Charron

Kelly Charron is the author of horror, psychological thrillers and urban fantasy novels. All with gritty, murderous inclinations and some moderate amounts of humor. She spends far too much time consuming true crime television (and chocolate) while trying to decide if yes, it was the husband, with the wrench, in the library.

She has written a YA psychological thriller called PRETTY WICKED about Ryann Wilkanson, a 15-year-old girl living in the small town of Dungrave County, Colorado who dreams of being an infamous and prolific serial killer––all the while keeping her dark deeds secret from her detective father and his shrewd partner. Available now.

With much more to tell in this story, she has written a sequel to PRETTY WICKED titled WICKED FALLOUT, which takes place 12 years after the slew of murders in the small town of Dungrave. It can be enjoyed as a standalone novel or as part of the Pretty Wicked series. Available now.

She has also completed two urban fantasy YA novels (DARKEST SHADOW and WILDE MAGIC) about witches, magic, malevolent spirits and, of course, murder which have yet to be released. Stay tuned

What to do at a Book Launch

Your book has been edited, the cover design is completed, the layout has been finalized and proofs provided. The novel is set to release, all your hard work is soon to be revealed to the world. This is the big moment that you as a writer have been waiting for. Are you prepared? A book release is an exciting time and a key part of the launch is hosting an event. Not all books have, or need, a launch but it can act as a great method for attracting readers to your work. If you plan on having one, it can be handy to know what to do at a book launch.

Why is a book launch important?

As mentioned above, it is a great way to attract readers to your book. Besides, this is your hard work being brought to life, toot your horn! Here’s some extra pointers as to why you should have an event for it:

The launch of your book is a key time for sales, its new to everyone and you want to do your best to reach best seller lists.
You can attract old and potentially new readers by hosting a launch.
People want to know more about the book and you’re the expert on it. What you say to them will be passed on through word of mouth.

Book launches are worth having and you only get one launch for a book (not always the case, but usually). So make it count!

What to do at a book launch

Generally you want to talk about the book, that is a good place to start. For real, you need to think about why you are having your book launch. This should be pretty obvious, you are celebrating the launch of your novel.

Prepare what you are going to talk about to your audience. Are you going to talk about the journey that it took to develop the novel? Will you discuss the intense amount of research that went into the book? Or will you leave it to an open Q&A? These are just some ideas that can be used at a book launch. To summarize the above and expand what you can do at your book launch:

Discuss how the book came to be. People that show up to the launch are there to learn more about you and why you wrote the book.
Read an excerpt from the book. It is the launch for the book after all, so give people a teaser of it to encourage them to grab a copy!
Offer a contest. This can encourage people to stay to the end of the event.
Post-speaking engagement and co-hosting. Once the reading is done, having extra entertainment or activities can keep them around a little longer to socialize and mingle. You could have a musician play music or have an art display for example.
Food and drink. Throughout the event’s duration treat your guests well by providing them some consumables. Drinks can help them unwind from their day. Food is always a good option.
Sign books! This should be obvious.
Keep it short. Don’t prolong the event and make it dull and dragged out. If you plan on speaking try to limit to about an hour. Think of the type of audience, how long can they keep sitting and listening for?

When and where?

If you have an existing audience, think about when is their ideal time to have an event. Is it a weekday evening? Or if it is more family-focused possibly a weekend day time might work better. This also applies to location as well, where is the easiest place for your audience to arrive to? Ask yourself these questions to really get into the head of your audience.

If you don’t have an audience, this can be trickier because you have no basis to go off of.

How do you bring people to my launch? What if no one shows up?

That is a real fear, it is completely possible that no one will arrive at the launch. It can be nerve-wracking because you will never know as there are no guarantees. Some pointers are outlined below on how to assure the success of your book launch:

Create an online event for your novel’s launch

This can be on Facebook, your website, EventBrite, etc. Give a place for people to be able to notify that they want to attend. This will also make it easier for you and other attendees to share it with their friends.

Tell Everybody

For real, tell your friends, your family, your colleagues and anyone in-between. Now is the time to bang your drum and let everyone know about the great accomplishment you have done. Don’t be shy. Think of it this way, if you don’t tell your friends and family then there is a 0% chance of them showing up because they do not know about it.

Digital Ads

This can be through social media (Facebook, Instagram) or search engines (Google Adwords). These ads lets you tailor the ads to people’s interests and their location. Be cautions though so you don’t spend a lot of money on ads as you can’t guarantee how many books you will sell at the launch to make back the money you invest.

Promotional Material and Press

This includes postcards, posters, digital banners, etc. You can use these items when reaching out to the media or being featured on magazines, blogs or newsletters.

Distribute

As the previous point mentioned, blogs, local newspapers, magazines and newsletters are just a few of the wide range of media outlets you can reach to promote the launch of your book. Remember you want to think local, so if you are finding online magazines or blogs, make sure they are within the area so the readers of those outlets can actually attend your event.

Work with the store your launch is at

Give them postcards, posters and any other information you have about the launch to help them promote it. They want your launch to be a success because a successful launch is good business for them.

Summarize your Book Launch

Review the items listed above, in the linear format and it will help provide a guidance. Before you dive into any of the above mentioned, plan ahead and make an action plan for who you are going to talk to. If you are releasing your book through a publisher then you should know your book release far in advance, if you are an indie author, release the book later rather than in a month so you can book the launch at the right location and time.

Any other book launch advice? Share it in the comments.

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Guest Blog: Is Your Brand Sending the Right Visual Message? on Flawless Inbound

Flawless Inbound is an inbound marketing agency in Edmonton, Alberta who was kind enough to have me on as a guest blogger discussing graphic design. The topic I wrote about is called:

Is Your Brand Sending the Right Visual Message

A brand is an Important foundation to any company, whether it is B2B or B2C interactions. It should be able to catch the attention of your potential customers at first glance. If the colours, typography or the complimentary elements, like photos or shapes, do not have relations to your potential clients, it can create a disconnect in the conversion process. This raises the question:

How do you know if your brand is sending the right visual message?

Learn more by reading the full article on Flawless Inbound

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Kobold Tavern Tales Episode 5: Justice is Served with Guest Konn Lavery

Listen to the Podcast Here

Fans of this podcast will enjoy Konn’s new release, YEGman: “The Punisher meets Sin City.” Join us for a discussion on crime and thriller novels, video games, and comic books! With co-host Jay Michael Wright. Edmonton-based author Konn Lavery releases his new crime thriller novel titled, YEGman, published by Reveal Books on April 18, 2018. Early access readers have called the novel “The Punisher meets Sin City.” The novel takes place in Konn Lavery’s hometown, Edmonton. The story paints a dark and grungy variation of the city filled with underground clubs, gangs and violence being combated by an x-cop vigilante. Konn Lavery’s previous work has been recognized in the Edmonton Journal’s Best Selling Books list with his dark fantasy novel Mental Damnation: Dream. His horror novel, Seed Me, was given the Golden Award by Literary Titan Review. Order YEGman: https://www.amazon.com/YEGman-Konn-La... Visit www.konnlavery.com for more on Konn’s books! Follow Konn: https://www.facebook.com/konnlavery/ https://twitter.com/konnl https://www.instagram.com/_konnartist/ https://www.amazon.com/Konn-Lavery/e/...

Listen to the Podcast Here

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New Tricks of the Trade

Another month has come and gone, we’re entering March and already the year is shaping up to have a lot of exciting things. The beginning of the year I spent a lot of time researching new tricks of the trade and prepping for the launch of YEGman. On social media the promotion for YEGman is entering full force. Preorders are now available on both Kindle and Kobo. I’m quite excited to get this book out, however that doesn’t mean I am not writing new stuff. A quote I like says:

The best time to start writing a book is when you have no time to spare.

Cynthia Kraack

This statement couldn’t be any truer, so I decided to start writing a new book.

Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

I’ve made some announcements over the past couple of weeks that I was working on a new slasher novel. I have finally completed the chapter outlines for the whole plot, meaning I can get into the first draft. This book I am particularly quite excited about because I am approaching the process differently than how I have done in the past.

After reading The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne over December, I took a month to digest what I read. It is a very systematic and objective-based form of writing. Right at the start of the book Shawn explains that you can essentially write for popularity or write for critical reception. From there he breaks down figuring out what your book’s genre is and what type of audience is attracted to that genre. From there you start to reverse engineer the genre to understand what type of scenes should be in the book.

The Story Grid had a lot of additional sections in it as well to help plot your novel from the start to the finish. He used The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris as an example to break a story down to fit within his story grid. He also went over the foolscap method of plotting a novel.

Applying New Tricks of the Trade

Now that I have the whole story outline for this slasher, I am deciding how I will go about writing this one. I could release it similar to how my previous books have been released, however I have already dipped my toes into unfamiliar territory with the planning, why not go further?

The writing industry is constantly changing as technology evolves. The eBook world was a massive leap forward back at around 2010 and we’re starting to see new iterations of the literary world being explored online with sites such as Wattpad or Shelfari or Revish. Now, the traditional methods of publishing probably aren’t going anywhere and that is also a viable option for this new slasher novel. So who knows, I am sure I will make a concrete decision once I start writing the first draft. Sometimes you have to have wait for the book tell you what is best for it. Sometimes it will be new tricks of the trade and other times old tricks of the trade.

Books telling you what is best for you and them, weird hey?

Beer Note: Baird Beer Wabi-Sabi Japan Pale Ale:

For this month I gave a Japanese beer a try, the last one I tried was the Saigon Export back in January 2017. Similar to the Saigon Export, it is a lot lighter than the normal beers I go for. This one has green tea and wasabi in it. The green tea doesn’t come across in the flavor but there is a slight hint of wasabi. Knowing my biased hoppy taste buds, I’d give this one a 3.5/5.

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GoIndieNow’s Live Panel Discussion Show: The Love of Horror & The Horror of Love

Are you someone who says, “I can’t do horror?” Well this might be the panel that changes that for you. You see we all have that dark place within us. You can deny it all you want, but its there. Some would argue it helps you appreciate the good within you and bring love more prominent into your life.

Crazy? Well back in October The writer’s Edge and GoIndieNow teamed up and gave you a retrospective of the genre. This panel is going to give you a look into your mind you never thought was possible through the genre. A beauty untapped, A love untamed, and the only thing scarier is how you might feel when this panel is over.

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The Children’s Writer’s Guide by Simon Rose

I’m pleased to welcome back Simon Rose, author of fifteen novels and many nonfiction books for children and young adults. He’s also the author of eight guides for aspiring authors and has just released the second installment of The Children’s Writer’s Guide.

So what’s The Children’s Writer’s Guide about?

The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2 is ideal for writers not just of books for children and young adults, but also features information that’s applicable to writers in all genres. The first installment of The Children’s Writer’s Guide has a wealth of tips and advice, including suggestions regarding how to get started as a writer, dealing with writer’s block, conducting research, choosing appropriate names for your characters, the editing and revision process, as well as the world of marketing and promotion.

This second book further explores the writing process, examining topics such as developing memorable characters, creating effective dialogue, the importance of book covers, the value of blogging, age levels and appropriate content for books for children and young adults, networking, and the process of submitting your work to publishing houses. In combination with The Children’s Writer’s Guide, this second book provides invaluable advice and support for both established and aspiring authors of books for children and young adults.

What inspired you to write this book?

The first instalment of the book came out a few years ago and at the time I had some material left over that didn’t quite fit. I considered writing a second part to the guide, but didn’t have anything else to add at the time and as with many other writers, other projects took priority. However, I did add sections when I had time and finally late last year I had enough to produce the second book.

Have you written and published other guides for writers?

Yes, in total I’ve written and published eight of these types of books. In addition to the two guides for children’s authors, there’s The Time Traveler’s Guide, which examines the writing of time travel stories and historical fiction, The Working Writer’s Guide, that explores the many ways that people can try to make a living as a writer, and The Social Media Writer’s Guide, which features tips and advice about writing online content for websites and social media. Where Do Ideas Come From? is all about creating workshops and presentations based on your books. Exploring the Fantasy Realm and School and Library Visits for Authors and Illustrators are very small books and the material also appears in the first part of The Children’s Writer’s Guide.

Is it important for aspiring authors to read books like this?

Yes, I think so. You obviously need an idea before you can start writing any book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction and are largely on your own during the writing process. However, it’s always good to conduct research and seek out information that might help you along your journey and both parts of The Children’s Writer’s Guide are very helpful for writers, and not just those writing for children and young adults. Much of the information in both books is very much applicable to writers in all genres, whether for younger readers or for adults.

Where can people purchase The Children’s Writer’s Guide?

The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2 available as a paperback on Amazon and as an ebook on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. The ebooks are available in ePub, Kindle, and pdf formats.

Ebook Amazon Kobo Smashwords Barnes and Noble iBooks

Paperback Amazon Barnes and Noble

The Children’s Writer’s Guide is also available in all formats at these locations.

Where can people find out more about you and your books?

You can learn more on my website at www.simon-rose.com or online at the following social media sites:

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The post The Children’s Writer’s Guide by Simon Rose appeared first on Konn Lavery.